Holiday Hugs and Kisses Video Released

Earlier this month, dozens of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals, as well as their straight allies, gathered at Artisphere to shoot a video. The video, called Holiday Hugs and Kisses, featured just what its name suggests.

The purpose of the video was “to demonstrate broad community and regional support for LGBT people” in a “fun and festive” way, according to the Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance, which helped to organize the filming.

The video from the event, set to music, was released on Monday. Take a look here.

We know that even in a post-Don’t Ask Don’t Tell world, such a video will be controversial to some. In the spirit of the holidays, we ask that everybody please keep the comments section civil.

Frankly, NO ONE CARES. People of Arlington long ago had an attitude that LGBT people could do whatever the hell they wanted.

So, there really is no need whatsoever for in-your-face, take-that theatrics and publicity stunts. And that is what others really object to — turning everything (including holidays) into some kind of political statement to advance an agenda, as well as using it as an occasion, SoCo, for you to preemptively smear as hatemongers those who would simply like the curtesy of being left alone.

LGBT can do whatever they want. No one cares. But they do care about such aggressive “hey everybody, LOOK AT US!!!” tactics.

mehoo

There’s people throwing their stuff in your face everwhere. Heteros, advertisers hawking cars and soap, obnoxious reality TV shows, etc. Surely you can tune out a few gays without getting all huffy.

You said nobody cares – so stop caring.

Skeptical

+1

SoCo Resident

See I told ya the hating homophobes, like Bender, would come out of the woodwork! Whenever gays kiss in public, it is “in your face” but if it were a group of straight couples, it would be beautiful according to commenters like this. Like Mehoo says there’s people throwing their stuff – like the traditional New Years’ mass straight marriages – in your face all the time, but Bender doesn’t get hateful about that!

Hmm

i think I saw one of my co-workers in that clip. things you find out on the internet!

KalashniKEV

I don’t think their efforts at agitation will be successful unless they distribute this little bit of Hate Bait to a wider audience. Perhaps it could be shortened into a TV commercial and aired during the evening news? Or maybe force the kids in public school to watch it as a “Holiday Acceptance” assembly? Perhaps they could do more to underscore the fact that it was a really expensive public building?

I don’t really care at all.

mehoo

You sure sound like you care.

KalashniKEV

Save the Hate Bait for someone with moral or religious issues with homosexuality. I completely don’t care at all.

If they want to whip up some controversy, why choose Arlington? They could have gone a few hours South or West and had the fight they were looking for…

AllenB

You don’t care, and yet you’ve posted twice so far on this thread… hmm…..

KalashniKEV

I still don’t care.

mehoo

I didn’t say you hate, I just said you sure are spending alot of time and words vigorously declaring just how much you don’t care.

If you don’t hate, and you don’t care, why do you call it “controversy?” Why do you think they want a “fight?”

KalashniKEV

“…you sure are spending alot of time and words vigorously declaring just how much you don’t care.”

Still posting and still don’t care.

The internet is a disease…

mehoo

Update: 12/23, 10 am – KK STILL doesn’t care.

Skeptical

Maybe people don’t want a fight. Maybe they want a celebration of the fact that this is one of the places in the US where a gay couple can be completely out and hope to get through a day without finding themselves trashed, if not to their faces, by their neighbors or the attitude of some local official or school administrator. I think that was only a month or two ago that someone in a school system elsewhere used his Facebook page to say to the world that it was fine with him if gay kids went home and killed themselves, or words to that effect. Yeah, he had to step down, but nice when you live in a community where you don’t get that.

It may take some getting used to. That’s OK. You’ll be all right.

KalashniKEV

“It may take some getting used to. That’s OK. You’ll be all right.”

?

Do I detect some emotion in your post? Why this? I didn’t care when boys kissed boys in High School, didn’t when I lived in New Orleans, and don’t care now.

It’s the same as the Nazi flyers- I’m sure they didn’t pick up any new recruits off of that stunt, it’s just another way to try and annoy someone around Christmas… and I didn’t then either.

mehoo

Yeah, KEV, all that blather about “hate bait” means you just don’t care.

CrystalCity’er

Who’s saying this is hate bait? According to the organizers of the event, the purpose of the video was simply “to demonstrate broad community and regional support for LGBT people” in a “fun and festive” way. Apparently you seem to think you know more than those who organized it.

Video count was 284 at 11:05 on 12/22
Video count is at 294 at 3:21 on 12/22
arlnow is singlehandedly making this going sub-viral.

mehoo

Maybe it’s those people who just don’t care, watching it over and over just to show how they just don’t care.

shirley

what? i was over on youtube hitting refresh. did you say something? like i care.

mehoo

I don’t care that you don’t care then. Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah.

mike

I don’t find it offensive, but I don’t get the point. Does this accomplish anything? In my opinion, we as gay men and woman illustrate we are a regular part of the community by working and existing side by side. We are accepted as others see we are just regular people like everyone else.

Bender

Thank you, Mike.

Well said.

Too bad the hate provocateurs like SoCo are too busy on their hate hunt to get it.

SoCo Resident

As demonstrated in this discussion, the hateful homophobes just crawl right out in the open, whenever an article like this is posted. A hate hunt or provocation is not necessary at all. The reaction is always the same: gays are “in your face” if they do almost anything except be very quiet and outta sight. Don’t you dare be demonstrative as in a kiss-in! And Mike, if we were “accepted,” we wouldn’t be currently filing lawsuits forcing Congress and the states to give us equality. This week’s DADT repeal was only because the court was breathing down the neck of the government. ArlNow’s Nov. 23rd article on the Artisphere produced a very hateful comment about one of the county’s leaders who happens to be gay. In my neighborhood citizen’s association, I’ve run into clear anti-gay sentiment, including renting our community building to a well known gay bashing hate group. Because I (successfully) protested, I am still discriminated against by my very own citizen’s assocation! We are not “accepted” Mike. Arlington has plenty of openly proud homophobes.

TGEoA

The only reason this was made is because lesbians are still mad they won’t show them on “kiss cam” at Mystics games.